SHI Staff, Author at Shared Hope International

April 21, 2015 by SHI Staff

Virginia closes legal gap on sex trafficking

By Lindsay Raynor | Capitol News Service

With the passage of House Bill 1964 and Senate Bill 1188, Virginia is the final state in the nation to enact a stand-alone law against human trafficking, officials say. Both bills were passed unanimously in the General Assembly and have been signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Statistics show why such legislation is needed.

There are 25 active cases against human traffickers in Henrico County, according to Mike Feinmel, the assistant commonwealth’s attorney there. Last year, Fairfax County received reports of 79 traffickers, but the state could prosecute only 10, Bill Wolfe, the lead detective for the Fairfax County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit.

“Four or five years ago, when I got thrown into human trafficking, I really didn’t know what it was,” Wolfe said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking is the second fastest-growing crime in the U.S. Officials say that is because traffickers often can make a lot of money without getting caught.

Read the full article here: http://rvanews.com/news/virginia-closes-legal-gap-on-sex-trafficking/124383

April 15, 2015 by SHI Staff

Virginia’s First Sex Trafficking Law

Arlington, VA— On Wednesday, April 15, the Kids Are Not For Sale in Virginia Coalition held a joint press conference with Delegate Tim Hugo and Senator Mark Obenshain in Richmond to officially announce the enactment of HB 1964 and SB 1188, establishing Virginia’s first standalone sex trafficking law. Companion bills HB 1964 and SB 1188 were signed into law on March 27 by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

“I would like to thank my friend, Delegate Tim Hugo, and Senator Mark Obenshain for leading the Virginia General Assembly to unanimously adopt this vital legislation, Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “The collaboration and effort put forth by Virginia legislators, the Kids Are Not For Sale Coalition, and Virginia residents who helped advocate for this law serves as a testament to the Commonwealth’s commitment to combat child sex trafficking.”

This legislation was championed by Chief Patron Delegate Timothy Hugo (HB 1964) and Chief Patron Senator Mark Obenshain (SB 1188). Shared Hope International implemented the Kids Are Not For Sale campaign to advocate for the enactment of a strong sex trafficking law in Virginia. The Coalition consists of Virginia law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers, advocacy groups, schools, and hospitals who joined together to advocate for this landmark legislation.

This law:

Clearly defines and establishes the offense of sex trafficking.
Establishes penalties that reflect the seriousness of the offense.
Specifically criminalizes child sex trafficking as a Class 3 felony without requiring prosecutors prove that force, intimidation or deception was used to cause the minor to engage in commercial sexual conduct given the way the traffickers recruit minors by preying on their vulnerability and trust.
Assists in protecting and properly identifying sex trafficking victims.
Closes a loophole in Virginia’s existing laws by criminalizing the recruitment of minors and adults for commercial sex—conduct which was not criminalized under Virginia law.

“I am grateful to my colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly for prioritizing the issue of child sex trafficking by voting unanimously to establish Virginia’s first sex trafficking law,” Delegate Timothy Hugo said. “This great success was made possible in large part through the efforts of Kids Are Not For Sale in VA, a Coalition implemented by Shared Hope International. The education and support the Coalition provided was instrumental in building momentum to pass the bill this year.”

According to Senator Mark Obenshain, “Human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal enterprise in America, and sadly it is a problem here in Virginia. For law enforcement it is really represents the next front in the fight against child predators.” Obenshain continued stating, “I am proud to have been the Senate patron of legislation to finally give Virginia a stand-alone sex trafficking statute. It is a critical new tool for law enforcement to have in fighting this rapidly growing criminal enterprise. We couldn’t have done it without hard work of colleagues in the General Assembly as well as the advocacy and support of the Kids Are Not For Sale in VA Coalition.”

Media Contact
Tabatha Mansfield
Coalition Coordinator, Kids Are Not For Sale in Virginia
804-937-4001
kidsarenotforsaleinva@gmail.com

ABOUT THE KIDS ARE NOT FOR SALE IN VA COALTION: The coalition was formed to advocate for the passage and enactment of a sex trafficking statute in Virginia in 2015. Members include: Shared Hope International, Richmond Justice Initiative, Virginia Beach Justice Initiative, Regent School of Law Center for Global Justice, Anastasis International Mission, Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative, Central Virginia Justice Initiative, Courtney’s House, Vessels of Mercy International, The Gray Haven, Virginia Catholic Conference, Bon Secours Virginia Health Systems, Release Me International, Virginia Trucking Association, The Family Foundation, Straight Street, Youth for Tomorrow, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia, and AAUW Virginia Beach.

April 1, 2015 by SHI Staff

Virginia: Last State In Nation to Establish a Human Trafficking Law

Arlington, VA— Today, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed SB 1188 and HB 1964 into law, officially establishing Virginia’s first standalone sex trafficking law.

“This is a landmark legislative victory for Virginia which until today, was the only state in the nation without a human trafficking law,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “Traffickers and buyers can no longer slip through the cracks left by the absence of a specific sex trafficking law criminalizing their behavior, and our kids are safer for it.”

These crucial bills were championed by Chief Patron Delegate Timothy Hugo (HB 1964) and Chief Patron Senator Mark Obenshain (SB 1188). Shared Hope International convened and led the Kids Are Not For Sale in Virginia Coalition, a collective effort between Virginia law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups, schools, and hospitals to advocate for the passage and enactment of Virginia’s first standalone sex trafficking statute. Nearly 1,000 constituents contacted their representatives to voice support for the passage of this crucial legislation.

This law:

Clearly defines and establishes the offense of sex trafficking.
Establishes penalties that reflect the seriousness of the offense.
Specifically criminalizes child sex trafficking as a Class 3 felony without requiring prosecutors prove that force, intimidation or deception was used to cause the minor to engage in commercial sexual conduct given the way the traffickers recruit minors by preying on their vulnerability and trust.
Assists in protecting and properly identifying sex trafficking victims.
Closes a loophole in Virginia’s existing laws by criminalizing the recruitment of minors and adults for commercial sex—conduct which is currently not criminalized in Virginia.

Media Contact
Taryn Offenbacher
Director of Communications, Shared Hope International
602-818-3955
Taryn@sharedhope.org

ABOUT THE KIDS ARE NOT FOR SALE IN VA COALTION: The coalition was formed to advocate for the passage and enactment of a sex trafficking statute in Virginia in 2015. Members include: Shared Hope International, Richmond Justice Initiative, Virginia Beach Justice Initiative, Regent School of Law Center for Global Justice, Anastasis International, Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative, Central Virginia Justice Initiative, Courtney’s House, Vessels of Mercy International, The Gray Haven, Virginia Catholic Conference, Bon Secours Virginia Health Systems, Release Me International, Virginia Trucking Association, The Family Foundation, Straight Street, and Youth for Tomorrow.

March 6, 2015 by SHI Staff

Inaugural Meeting of Experts Council and JuST Response State System Mapping Report Preview

Thank you!

On March 4, 2015 Shared Hope International convened the inaugural Experts Council meeting and previewed the 2015 JuST Response State System Mapping Report. The event was a success and we extend our thanks to those who attended in-person or via webcast.

image-04-03-15-12-18-2

#JuSTResponse on Twitter

Thank you everyone who joined us today for webcast of #JuSTResponse! Keep the convo going! -> http://t.co/GtUDlizDty pic.twitter.com/NYMglstpKf
— SharedHope Int'l (@SharedHope) March 4, 2015

Webcast Recording

JuST Response State System Mapping Report Release Event from Shared Hope on Vimeo.

Experts Council

Shared Hope brought together the nation’s top experts to discuss trending approaches to state laws, child serving agency response and service provision for juvenile victims of sex trafficking. We offered an advance release of the JuST Response State Systems Mapping Report, which will be released publicly this month.

Experts Council

Darla Bardine, National Network for Youth (DC)
Nikki Trautman Baszynski, Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OH)
Lauren Behsudi, Casey Family Programs (DC)
Blair Bjellos, U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Ted Poe (TX) and Victims’ Rights Caucus Coordinator
Nicole Borrello, DOJ/CEOS (DC)
Mike Conrad, FBI, retired (AZ)
Denise Edwards, National Children’s Alliance (DC)
Rebecca Epstein, Georgetown University School of Law (DC)
Tina Frundt, Courtney’s House (DC)
Courtney Gaskins, Youth for Tomorrow (VA)
Alexandra Gelber, DOJ/CEOS (DC)
Melinda Giovengo, YouthCare (WA)
Lisa Goldblatt Grace, My Life My Choice, Justice Resource Institute (MA)
Kim Grabert, Dept. of Children & Families (FL)
Yolanda Graham, Devereux Georgia (GA)
Michelle Guymon, L.A. County Probation Dept. (CA)
Marian Hatcher, Cook County Sheriff’s Office (IL)
Stephanie Holt, Mission 21 (MN)
Gretchen Kerr, Northland, A Church Distributed (FL)
Abigail Kuzma, Indiana Attorney General’s Office (IN)
Amy Louttit, National Network for Youth (DC)
Faiza Mathon-Mathieu, ECPAT- USA (DC)
Abi Mills, Northland, A Church Distributed (FL)
Withelma “T” Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, Survivor Advocate (MD)
Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce, Othayonih Research (MN)
Rochelle Rollins, DHHS/ACF (DC)
Linda Smith, Shared Hope International (WA)
Melissa Snow, NCMEC (VA)
Jen Spry, RN (PA)
Margaret Talburtt, Lovelight Foundation (MI)
Yasmin Vafa, Human Rights Project for Girls (DC)
Alexander Villarreal, Janus Youth Programs (OR)

Nancy Baldwin, Hickey Family Foundation (AZ)
The Honorable Bobbe Bridge (ret.), Center for Children and Youth Justice (WA)
Rebecca Johnson, PhD (WA)
Katherine Kaufka Walts, Center for the Human Rights of Children, Loyola University Chicago (IL)
The Honorable Hiram Puig-Lugo, D.C. Superior Court (DC)
Margie Quin, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TN)
Elizabeth Ranade Janis, State of Ohio Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator (OH)
Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, Arizona State University (AZ)

JuST-Response-Experts-Council

More information

To learn more about the JuST Response, visit sharedhope.org/justresponse.

February 11, 2015 by SHI Staff

Shared Hope Tackles Human Trafficking at Super Bowl & Scores a Big Win for Justice

An Unforgettable Announcement

Students at Grand Canyon University view the doll box installation on campus.

Last week Shared Hope International was in Phoenix to raise awareness about child sex trafficking through the “Children Aren’t Playthings” doll box campaign. We used the national spotlight on Phoenix and the Super Bowl to bring an unforgettable announcement that child sex trafficking is happening in America.

We talked to hundreds of students and community members about the issue, most were shocked to learn that trafficking takes place in America today. The campaign also received significant media attention from the Huffington Post, ABC, and the Washington Times, among others.

Using Creativity to Raise Awareness

The box was created through a pro bono partnership between Shared Hope and Brunner, a creative agency in Atlanta. The exhibit took Silver in the 2014 OBIE Awards for being for the year’s most creative and dynamic out-of-home advertising in 2014.

Over 600 people were reportedly arrested on charges related to sex trafficking this year because of focused efforts from law enforcement to cut down on the anticipated increase in the commercial sex trade during the Super Bowl each year. Among those arrested was NFL Hall of Fame Lineman Warren Sapp who was arrested on charges of solicitation.

Taking Action

Shared Hope’s support letter on Demandingjustice.org encouraging Arizona County Attorney’s to prosecute buyers to the fullest extent of the law received over 3,000 signatures. You can view the petition at http://www.demandingjustice.org/petition/.